In recent years, interest has grown in the development of anionic exchange polyelectrolytes, particularly for those used as anion exchange membranes (AEM) in alkaline fuel cell applications. Due to the low overpotentials associated with many electrochemical reactions at high pH and the potential to forego noble metal catalysts, AEMs serve as an interesting counterpoint to the more widely developed and understood proton or cation exchange membranes (PEM or CEM).
However, most commercially-available AEMs are based on crosslinked polystyrene, which may not be very stable in alkaline or electrochemical environments. In addition, the polystyrene, such as aminated cross-linked polystyrene, may be blended with other polymers and fabric supports due to poor physical properties, and the addition of the other polymers may further limit the ionic conductivity and may decrease the chemical stability of the membrane. As such, there remains a need in the art for new anion exchange polyelectrolytes that have suitable stability and ionic conductivity.